JRL to hold ‘wide-ranging’ consultations with all factions of society for ‘comprehensive joint strategy’

Srinagar: Stating that “suppression” has reached beyond tolerable levels, the Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) on Tuesday decided to have wide-ranging consultations with all factions of the society
to frame a comprehensive joint strategy.
The JRL comprising both factions of Hurriyat Conference headed by Syed Ali Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq besides JKLF-led by Muhammad Yasin Malik also termed Indian army Chief Bipin Rawat’s recent statement an encouragement to the men in uniform “to increase brutality and killing against Kashmiris.”
“The suppression has reached a stage where it has become unbearable for the population which cannot silently tolerate it further. In order to defeat these cruel designs of New Delhi, the JRL has decided to have wide-ranging consultations with all factions of the society including political organizations, religious organizations, lawyers, traders, transporters, employees, academicians, civil society and others to frame a comprehensive joint strategy and present it before the people,” the leadership said in a statement issued after they held a meeting at the Hyderpora residence of resistance leader Syed Ali Geelani “where they had a thorough discussion over the prevailing situation in Kashmir.”
Strongly condemning the wide-scale “bloodshed, arrest spree of youth, thrashing of residents during CASO and damaging property at large scale across the length and breadth of Kashmir by the Indian forces present in the Valley”, the JRL said that the Indian forces have unleashed a “naked aggression against the people of Kashmir where youth are being selectively killed and property damaged under a sinister design to consolidate the grip of occupation over Jammu & Kashmir by New Delhi.”
The JRL termed the blowing up of houses with explosive material, thrashing of relatives including women of even slain armed youth, merciless beating of people during CASOs and damaging property including the apple and other fruit orchards as crimes against humanity committed by the government forces.
The JRL urged international community to take serious note of the events unfolding in the “pain-stricken Kashmir.”
While strongly denouncing these “inhuman acts”, the JRL said people of Kashmir, especially people living in south Kashmir have completely been left at the mercy of the Indian forces, who have made the life of common citizens “hell by not even allowing them to go to their paddy fields and orchards to reap the crop.”
The JRL said that it is so unfortunate that whosoever tries to raise a voice against the “brutality of forces”, is silenced either by ruthless torture or through other means of “repression”.
The leadership said that government forces have turned Kashmir into a killing field where innocent people including women are killed with immunity anytime, anywhere.
The JRL strongly condemned the crackdown on the resistance leadership stating that most of the resistance leaders have been booked under PSA and lodged in jails outside the J&K State which reflects the “dictatorial and authoritarian approach of New Delhi to muzzle the voice and rights of the people through a naked display of its military might.”
The JRL said those who complete their term under PSA, are even slapped with second and third PSA just to ensure their illegal and continues detention. The number of political prisoners of Kashmir is increasing with every passing day as they are not even produced before the respective courts for trial.
The JRL said that despite “ultimate repression being unleashed across Kashmir,” the resistance leadership and every single citizen of Kashmir is committed to their birth right, the right to self determination and for that the ongoing struggle will continue at all levels, the statement added.